Conventional Mode of Writing

In the English classroom, it seems as though there is no more conventional mode of writing than the literary essay. Although simple in its essence, I believe it is important, especially with students new to this form of writing, to spend time identifying and explaining each section of the literary essay. As such, one strategy to use would be to create an anchor chart to display in the classroom explaining the elements of the literary essay and how they function as a whole (above). To further student understanding, students could be asked to formulate their own versions of an anchor chart in their own words based on a previous class discussion about the different parts of a literary essay.

Prior to engaging in writing a literary essay, students would be provided with an organizational chart to map out their ideas. The chart would include sections for the introduction, the thesis statement (including the 3 main ideas), the 3 body paragraphs (including topic sentences, student ideas and supportive evidence) and the conclusion. This not only serves as a tool to confirm the students understand the function of each section of their essay, but also provides the students an opportunity to brainstorm their ideas before beginning a rough draft.